Rand construction workers can get Caribbean cruises

BySarah Halzack

September 9, 2012

Company: Rand.

Location: Washington.

Employees: 136 locally. 190 nationwide.

Superintendents at District-based Rand construction company have a tough schedule. They might have to work odd hours on a job that doesn’t allow them to be in a building during business hours, or they might have to drop everything and put in overtime if a client decides to change materials midway through the project.

Because of the unique demands placed on these workers, Rand’s founder and chief executive Linda Rabbitt wanted to come up with a special way to reward them.

So, 12 years ago, she began offering a week-long, all-expenses-paid Caribbean cruise to superintendents after they put in 10 years of service at the company. Rand pays for the worker’s spouse or significant other to join in on the trip. Taking advantage of this perk does not count against the employee’s regularly allotted vacation hours.

Jeff Osgood, a senior superintendent, said he and his wife kept things low-key on their cruise to St. Thomas and St. John, mostly lounging by the pool or taking strolls through town when the ship reached a docking point. And at the end of each day, they enjoyed retreating to their suite with a balcony.

At most workplaces, Osgood said, “They give you a little plaque or they might have a luncheon for you” when an employee hits the 10-year mark. The fact that Rand does so much more, he said, signals how much Rabbitt cares about her staff.

Sam Purpora, a managing senior superintendent, decided he’d rather go to Europe for his 10-year anniversary.

“Rand pays for the Caribbean cruise, I pitched in the difference,” Purpora said. It’s a trip he said he wouldn’t have been able to make without his employer picking up part of the tab.

Purpora and his family traveled to Spain, France and Italy, and they particularly enjoyed excursions to Pompeii and the Vatican.

His wife and daughter had such a good time, Purpora said, “They want to go back. They couldn’t get enough.”

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Sarah HalzackSarah Halzack is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the consumer and retail industries. She was previously a national retail reporter for the Washington Post. Follow